#wonderful (were)wolves checkpoint

[oracleact]

[oracleact]

the werewolf

“they look right at you but do not know you. they see what they expect to see, and in some ways, they are right, but they don’t know what lurks just beneath the surface. each day you feel less and less connected to the parts of you that are expected. there is a violence that claws at your heart, begging to be let out. however, you are both well aware that when it chooses to take over, there will be no permission needed. it will do as it will. the part that scares you the most? deep down you want to let it out. you crave the freedom it can provide.”

my result made my heart jump inside my chest...I can’t even begin to explain how much I relate to every sentence of that description. why must a quiz read me in this way—

which paranormal being are you?

(sorry but we cant all get vampire)

[abbysfrenchbraid]

hi! i love all of your writing, especially your abby fanfics. i know you’re in the middle of your eivor series right now, so pls disregard if you don’t feel like writing this request or don’t want to write for abby, but i was wondering if you could maybe write a hurt/comfort type imagine where abby either comforts the reader when they’re sad or after they have a nightmare. i get really frequent nightmares and love to read fanfics like this but totally understand if you’re not into the idea. all the love and i hope you’re doing well; merry christmas if you celebrate!

so this is half a year late, but I finally have a little more time to go through my requests so here it is! this is also the first time I've actively avoided gendering the reader as I've gotten a few requests for a nonbinary or genderfluid reader. This is not a cop-out on that, I definitely want to write an explicitly nb reader but I figured this would make the reading experience better for quite a few people!

Summary: The reader has recently lost a family member and stranded with the WLF. They struggle with frequent panic attacks and nightmares. Abby notices and tries to take care of them.

CW for loss of a family member (sibling), death and grief, heavy trauma, panic attacks, anxiety, nightmares, and struggling to breathe. The nightmares are also fairly violent and creepy so please watch out for yourselves and only read this if you're in a good state of mind <3

I've Got You

The truck rattled as Leah drove it up the road to the WLF stadium. It had been a particularly rough day on patrol. You and the other wolf had run into a group of freshly infected that seemed to have been three families once. The children had been the worst. The youngest had probably been about ten years old before she had turned, her eyes bright blue and her blonde curls matted with dried blood. You had taken care of them all, of course you had. But it had been horrible. You folded your hands in your lap to keep them from shaking.

You had joined the WLF a few months ago after losing your team and your little sister in a clicker-infested cellar you had set up camp in. It had been so fucking stupid, so careless. But everyone had been tired, you hadn’t seen any infected in days, and so only one of you had kept watch. He barely had time to scream before the clicker had ripped out his throat. It had been chaos, madness, everyone scrambling to escape into the network of damp corridors and storage rooms, more and more clickers being drawn to you by the noise.

Leah raised her hand at the armed guards at the gate and they opened for your truck. The sun was setting behind you and most people were inside the stadium now, eating or spending time with friends. Both of you were quiet. Leah’s legs were covered in slowly darkening blood and the smell was nauseating. The tall wolf pulled the truck into its designated spot and took a deep breath.

“Y/N?” You looked up at her. The circles under her eyes could compete with yours, but her face was still as kind as ever.

“Yeah?”

“You take care of yourself today. Take a long shower, get something to eat. I’ll let Martha know to give you a double portion for dinner.”

You smiled faintly at her. This was how it was here. All the wolves had seen terrible things and probably done even worse. They all chose to let it out in training and then leave it behind them. No sense in holding on. You nodded.

“Thanks, Lee. See you in the gym tomorrow.”

The brunette grinned and patted your thigh.

“6 am sharp!” She jumped out of the car and gave back the keys at the checkpoint, then she vanished inside the stadium.

You stayed in your seat. Your fingers had cramped up and you were scared to unfold them, scared you would never be able to stop them from shaking again.

Sierra had held your hand all the way, not letting go as you dragged her through the darkness, fought off four infected, stumbled up stairs you had not come down on, and found yourself in a ravaged theater. You had run all night and only stopped when you were unable to go a single step further. When you had found a small pawnshop that you could lock up safely, you had made a bed of your jacket and a moth-eaten blanket from the theater. Sierra had started to cry. You would never forget the way dread had started to creep into your limbs, seeping into your skin and stretching dark tendrils toward your throat. You had rolled up Sierra’s sleeve and there it was. A relatively small mark, just the puncture wounds from two teeth turned into mean scratches as Sierra had pulled her arm from the jaws of a clicker and kept on running. But it had already begun to fester, the edges of the wound an angry red contrasting the white blisters forming around the site. It felt like the ground had been pulled from below your feet. You fell and fell, unable to speak, to do anything, just staring at the thing that meant the end of the world. The end of your baby sister.

A shout caught your attention - another car had returned to the stadium and was pulling into a spot a few paces away. It was Manny and Abby, everyone’s favorite duo. The attractive joker and the stoic warrior. They were among Leah’s best friends and she had introduced them to you a while ago, all of them welcoming you warmly. It had been strange, being part of a group again, a team. Your heart was still too sore.

So you had quietly pulled yourself out of most of the group evenings, the film nights and game nights and arm wrestling tournaments and what else there was to do. Manny had tried his luck flirting with you a few times and one time you had even joined him for a dance, but after realizing he wouldn’t land with you he had respectfully backed off and now treated you more like a little sister. Mel and Owen had been nice, too, both very secluded when they turned up together, but Owen was funny and enthusiastic and always yelled your name across the cafeteria or the training course when he saw you. He was one of the few people who could make you laugh no matter how hard you tried not to.

Nora was a whirlwind, the smartest person you had ever known and unfaltering no matter what the universe threw at her feet. She liked poetry and hard rock music, big men and even bigger women. You had often wondered whether she and Abby had ever hooked up. But you weren’t sure of anything concerning Abby. Always the stony face, the impenetrable wall, the arms-length smile and polite nod in the hallway. It could be infuriating at times. Especially because despite it all, against all your better judgment, you could feel yourself growing more and more interested in her, constantly looking for her in a crowd and sneaking side glances to see if she was listening to you or laughing at the same things.

The car doors banged and the sound echoed through the small space. Manny was laughing about something Abby had said and walked with a bounce in his step as he approached the counter to hand back his keys. Abby looked like she always did, khaki cargo pants and a black cutoff, her green backpack slung over one muscular shoulder. Some strands of hair had escaped her braid and curled up at the back of her neck, slightly damp from her sweat in the hot summer air. Trying to calm down and distract yourself, you let your gaze wander up her strong build, freckled biceps flexing as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. And then she looked straight at you. You didn’t move, stayed frozen as you had for the last few minutes, wishing you were invisible.

Your face felt hot and suddenly there were tears blurring your vision - what was happening?! Your knees started shaking as well, bouncing uncontrollably as your nails dug into the backs of your hands. Your throat was closing up and your bottom lip was quivering. All you saw were specks of grey and green, all you felt was your body resisting every command and rebelling against you, trying to hold you in place and suffocate you silently.

Suddenly the door opened beside you and a soft, deep voice said your name. You tried to blink the tears away but your vision wouldn’t clear up, panic blinding you further. You began shaking your head as your chest convulsed in a desperate attempt to draw breath.

“Fuck, Y/N, okay.” Abby’s voice was determined and suddenly her hands were on your wrists. Her skin was warm and dry, her grip firm. She softly shook your clasped hands and somehow moved so her face was in front of yours, a mess of green and brown and there, soft pink where her lips moved, speaking quietly and telling you to breathe with her. One hand stayed on your wrist and her thumb massaged the cramped up muscle there, digging painfully into your flesh but pulling you back to her slowly. One hand came up closer and a calloused thumb brushed the tears from your cheek before her hand landed on your shoulder, fingers pressing into your upper back.

“Hey, look at me, look at me, Y/N, you’re okay, I’m here. Can you try to breathe in with me on three? Just stop fighting for a moment, count with me and then we’ll breathe in together. Okay? One.”

You tried to sit up straighter and stop the erratic twitching of your chest, still choking on your breath as you waited for her commando.

“Two. Three.”

Her hand pressed between your shoulders from behind and suddenly you could breathe again, a loud gasp that turned into quiet sobs as you fought to release the air from your lungs before breathing in again.

“There we go, you’re doing so good,” Abby’s hand was on your cheek again, “so good, Y/N, breathe with me, that’s right.”

Your vision slowly returned to you now, though it was still distorted by  tears. Abby had half-climbed into the truck, one foot between yours and one dangling out of the open door, her weight held up only by her right leg as she pressed her back against the dashboard. A wet laugh escaped you. Abby shot you a confused look, paired with the hint of a relieved smile.

“What?”

“You’re gonna get a cramp as well,” you rasped, “if you keep that up.”

You slid further to the inside of the broad seat, making room for Abby next to you. She grinned and sat down, one hand still on your wrist. Her eyes went down to your trembling hands, your knuckles still white from your iron grip.

“Okay, let’s take care of your hands, hm?”

Her fingers wandered softly over yours, then she rested one hand over your tangled fingers and pushed her other thumb between your palms, gently loosening your hold. She pulled back each finger slowly, starting with your thumbs and stroking each one as they relaxed. Finally, your shaking hands lay freely on your thighs.

“You’re doing so well, Y/N, don’t worry.” She took one of your hands in her lap and started massaging the inside of your palm. “Wanna tell me what got you there?”

You sighed, breath still shaky with tears.

“Um.. We ran into infected today. Runners. Families, it seemed.”

Abby sucked in a breath and gave you back your hand before taking the other and starting the same gentle procedure.

“Those are the hardest. Kids?”

You nodded and Abby made a soft noise. You took another rattling breath.

“I… I lost my little sister. Back when… before I came to you.”

Her head shot up and she stared at you, shock and sympathy playing over her features.

“Fuck, Y/N, you never said…”

“I know.” You lowered your head.

When you had stumbled out of the woods around the WLF stadium and begged them to let you in, they had stripped you and searched you before bringing you to their leader. After hours of questioning to make sure you weren’t a spy for any other group, he knew about your team and everything you had done in the last three years, but you hadn’t mentioned Sierra once. It wouldn’t change anything anyway. They had brought you to Nora who had patched you up, examined you, and fed you before showing you to your new room. It was a small closet on the base level of the stadium, with only a tiny window letting in some light. You were thankful for a roof over your head and the armed posts surrounding the stadium.

“I didn’t want to talk about her. I didn’t lie to Isaac or betray you. It wasn't anyone's business.” You gave Abby a fierce look. Nothing would change your mind about this. She just nodded, her eyes wide. You sighed, brushing your hands against each other.

“She was bitten. I see her every time I close my eyes. It wasn’t fair.” You dropped your hands into your lap. “I just don’t… I can’t -”

Abby’s hand was on yours again, her fingers sliding between yours.

“Hey. I won’t tell anyone. But I’m here, okay? If you want to talk.”

You scoffed.

“No one ever talks here. You’re all made of stone.”

Abby contemplated this for a few seconds, then she squeezed your hand.

“My dad was murdered a few years ago. Almost all of our families are dead.” Now it was your turn to be shocked. Fuck. You had been so insensitive. “By us, I mean Owen, Nora, Jordan, and me. Owen lost his parents to infected and his brothers to the scars just last year.”

Abby leaned back and stared out of the windshield, the garage now dark except for a few small lamps at the exits.

“Fuck, I’m so sorry. Of course, I’m in no place to tell you how to deal with it.”

“No, it’s fine. You’re right, you know. We don’t talk about those things.” She looked at you, her gaze so intense you almost pulled back. “Would you like to?”

You forced yourself to hold her gaze.

“I think I would. Now that it’s all… further away.”

Abby nodded, squeezing your hand again.

“Then we’ll talk. You can tell me all about your sister. And… I haven’t talked about my dad in a long time. I think I’d like to tell you about him, too. He was great.”

A small smile played around her lips and you felt a rush of gratitude for this wonderful woman. You could practically see the memories playing through her head behind those green eyes. She blinked, looking back at you.

“Wanna get something to eat? You must be starving. I know I am.”

“Sure.” You shared another smile and exited the car together, fingers still intertwined as you crossed the lot and Abby held the door open for you.

Dinner was already over, but Leah had kept her word and the elder woman at the counter gave you both gigantic bowls of beef stew with thick, coarse bread. You told Abby about your patrol that day and she hummed sympathetically. She knew what it felt like to deal with infected children. After a while, the door to the cafeteria flew open and Manny came in, sleek black hair still wet from a shower. He grinned brightly as he made his way over to you and sat next to you on the metal bench.

“You coming along tonight?” he asked you, drumming his fingers on the table. You raised your eyebrows.

“What’s happening tonight?”

He tutted at Abby and gave her a theatrical frown.

“You didn’t invite Y/N? It’s Mel’s birthday! Owen got his hands on some prime hooch. You celebrating with us?”

You smiled at your plate. The last thing you needed was to get wasted and completely lose any shred of sanity you had left.

“Thanks, but I don’t think I’ll join you. I still haven’t showered and I had a terrible day. I’m just gonna read a bit and pass out, I think.” You gave him an apologetic shrug.

“Oh, come on, Y/N. Read and pass out? It’s a special occasion! You sure?”

“Yeah, but really, thank you for inviting me. Maybe next time.”

He sighed heavily, then he clapped his hand on the table and stood up.

“Abby, you need to get moving, girl. We’re meeting in 20 and you stink.”

Abby just raised her eyebrows and shook her head, finishing her stew. Manny's laughter echoed through the empty room as he left.

“Do I really smell that bad?” There was a twinkle in her eye, a conspiratorial smile on her lips. You smiled back.

“Not at all. He probably smelled me.” You grabbed her empty bowl and placed it in yours. “Go have fun, I’ll clean this up. See you at training.”

Abby cocked her head to the side, seemingly not sure what to do. You gave her another encouraging smile.

“Really, I’m fine. Thank you for taking care of me, I owe you. Go celebrate!”

The tall blonde stood up slowly. She still seemed hesitant.

“I’ll come check on you later if that’s okay. And you can always come over and talk to me if something’s wrong, alright?”

Your chest felt tight all of a sudden, but not in the way it had earlier. It was the feeling of reaching for something knowing you’d never have it, of wanting something so bad and only being able to admire it from a distance. It felt like being homesick. You thought of Sierra again and how she had been your home, the only anchor in your life. Fuck, not now.

You shook your head as if to get rid of your thoughts and gave Abby a brave smile.

“Okay. But I’ll be fine. Promise.”

“Okay. See you later, then.”

“See you.”

Abby gave you a last look over her shoulder before exiting the cafeteria and you made your way over to the kitchen. The cooks had already left and a lanky red-haired boy was the only one still there, washing dishes and listening to music on an mp3 player. The metallic sound in his headphones echoed through the peacefully quiet kitchen. He almost jumped two feet into the air when you approached from the side, bowls in your hand.

“Fuck, you scared the shit out of me! Jesus Christ.” He pressed a wet hand to his chest, the suds leaving a dark print on his shirt.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know how not to scare you, music and all. Sorry.” Both of you had to laugh and he held his dripping hands out for your dirty bowls.

“Don’t worry, I just wasn’t expecting anyone this late. You just come back from a mission?”

“Just a patrol run.”

You leaned against the counter and watched him clean the dishes.

“Anything exciting happen?” His eyes were bright and excited. He was even younger than he had looked at first, he couldn’t be older than 15. “My brother is on patrols too. Maybe you know him, his name is Danny.”

You crossed your arms and tried to remember the face that matched that name. Danny had been on patrol with Owen for a while when you had first arrived, but now he was stationed on some outpost and you hadn’t seen him for a long time.

“Yeah, I think I do. He’s not here at the moment, right?”

“He’s at the Serevena Hotel. I may be able to visit him there soon, depending on how my training goes.”

You raised your eyebrows.

“Training to be a soldier?”

“Of course.” He stood up straight. “I want to do my part, protect our people. Fight the scars.”

You didn’t really know how to respond to that. Even though you were thankful the WLF had taken you in and even though you had also participated in rigorous training from the first day on, soon being cleared for missions, you didn’t really have the same loyalty and faith for the organization. The seraphites were your enemies now, of course, but they were just people. You all were. Sometimes you wondered how it could have come to this - so few people left on this earth and here you were, slaughtering each other.

“I hope you can visit your brother soon.” You let your arms fall to the side and turned to leave. “Thanks for the dishes.”

“No problem,” he mumbled, putting his headphones back in.

You were in no rush to get to your room and so you took a few detours, passing the gym which was filled with quite a lot of people getting their training in after work. You looked into empty classrooms, trying to decipher what was written on the board. Would Sierra have studied here? Sat in the front, eager to learn the things you hadn’t been able to teach her? What if you had come here earlier, before it all happened? Could they have protected her better than you had? She would probably be walking next to you now, telling you about her day.

When you finally arrived at your room, you just quickly grabbed a towel, a clean shirt, and some shorts and headed for the showers. The hot water seemed to help somewhat. You wondered what Abby was up to right now. Probably getting drunk and having fun. Was she the type of person who danced? You had never seen her dance before. Maybe Nora would persuade her. There it was again, that heavy, pulling feeling. You turned the water off, got dressed, and went straight to bed. Enough heartache for one day.

-

You woke up confused, not knowing where you were at first. It was pitch black and there was some kind of noise outside. You reached around you and finally found the flashlight next to your pillow, turning it on and trying to wipe the sleep from your eyes. What was going on?

It had to be after midnight. The lights in the stadium were only on from 5.30 am to 10 pm in order to save power. You untangled yourself from your sheets and got on your feet, swaying a little. There it was again, that strange scratching noise accompanied by a quiet mumbling sound. It wasn’t directly at your door but seemed to come from further down the corridor. There were a few other people living down here in storerooms and sectioned hallways.

Yawning, you walked to the door and opened it ever so slightly, pressing the flashlight to your thigh in order to keep the light down at first. You couldn’t see anything, so you waved the flashlight around the corridor. Your stomach dropped.

At the far end of the hallway, a small figure stood in front of one of the doors, trying to open it to no avail. Small hands scratched at the wood, quiet brabbling reached your ears. This was wrong. Very wrong. The figure hadn’t noticed the light yet. It went on to the next door, trying the door handle and whining in frustration when it didn’t open.

Why didn’t the people inside wake up from the noise? You stood frozen as the figure tried the next door. It was a child, dressed in dotted pyjamas. Its blonde hair was shoulder length and tangled in knots. You slowly pushed your door open wider in order to step out into the corridor. Suddenly, the hinges squeaked and the sound echoed through the hallway.

The child slowly turned toward you. Blood was dripping from its mouth, its eyes were cold. It took a step toward you. You looked down and realized you were holding a gun. Oh. Right. Infected. You were supposed to shoot them.

As the kid made another strange brabbling sound, more blood ran down the front of the cotton pyjama shirt. You raised the flashlight with shaky fingers and aimed it right at the child's face.

Your blood froze in your veins. No. This couldn’t be. You had taken care of her, you had made sure she wouldn’t… wouldn’t turn into one of these… No, you had given her a peaceful ending.

“Sierra.” Your voice was raspy, quiet with terror. “Sierra, what are you doing here, baby?”

She growled. A horribly wrong sound, coming from someone so small and so lovely. Only she wasn’t lovely anymore. She was sick. Infected.

“Sierra!” You spoke louder now, your voice pleading. “Baby, please don’t do that. It’s me, see?” You raised the flashlight to light your own face for a moment. When you put it back on her, she had stopped walking. Her face was a mask of ice-cold fury. When she spoke, her voice rattled like nails in a metal box, rough like chalk on board.

“Y/N… Why?

You sank to your knees.

“Oh baby, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know what to do. I’m so sorry Siri, I was so helpless. I didn’t know, I didn’t…”

“You… killed… me.”

She was getting dangerously close now and all of a sudden you could smell her, too. Foul, dead, vile. The smell of sickness and decay. You raised the gun, a war raging between your head and your heart.

“Sierra, stop. Stop.” Tears were streaming down your face. “Please stop, Siri. Don’t come any closer. Stop, stop! Please stop!”

Your little baby sister was so close that you could have reached out a hand and brushed through her hair. You stood up and took a step back.

“I’m gonna have to shoot you if you don’t step back. You’re infected, Siri. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, but you can’t, please Sierra. Don’t, please don’t…”

She hissed at you and lurched forward. A shot rang through the air and the girl fell to the floor right before you, her tiny body at your feet, blood slowly pooling around her head. You dropped the gun and it clattered on the concrete floor. You clapped your hands to your mouth and screamed into your palms, crying out again and again, trying to gasp for air. It felt like your heart was being torn in two.

Suddenly there was a hand on your shoulder. You whirled around, but there was only darkness. You let yourself fall to the floor and kept weeping into your hands. Someone gripped your wrists and shook them slightly. You opened your eyes.

Abby was sitting on the side of your bed, her face right above yours and full of worry. You shook your head, frantically looking around your room for any kind of danger. The room was almost dark, light just seeping through the crack under the door. It was still early in the night.

“Y/N? Hey, hey. You’re okay.” Abby slowly let go of your wrists. “You had a nightmare. You’re okay now, I’m here.”

You were still too terrified to speak, so you just scooted further to the side and grabbed Abby’s hand, giving her a pleading look. She understood immediately, kicking off her shoes and climbing into bed next to you, holding out her arm for you to crawl into. You pressed yourself to her side and rested your head on her chest, feeling yourself tremble in her arms. She just held you for a while, letting you listen to her heartbeat until your own body began to calm down.

“Hi,” you whispered into the dim room. Abby stroked your hair while she held you tightly.

“Hey there,” she mumbled back. “Feeling better?”

“Not really.” You looked up at her. She smelled faintly of alcohol and something sweet. “How was your party?”

The corner of her mouth twitched.

“It was absolute chaos. I had to escape from there before it could consume me. And I also had someone to check on.” She squeezed your shoulder. You cringed at the thought of her finding you like this, writhing and talking in your sleep, crying out or even fighting her without knowing who was in front of you. You had always had horrible nightmares and Sierra had taken the brunt of them, waking you countless nights and trying to stay brave when you yelled at her or shoved her away in the first moments of consciousness, not yet fully back in the real world. Now that she was gone, they were a hundred times worse. You pressed your forehead to Abby’s shoulder.

“Did I scream?”

“Not really. I just knocked a few times and then I heard you talking, and you sounded so panicked that I thought I should make sure… I’m sorry I just came in like that.”

You shook your head.

“No, don’t. Thank you for waking me. It was… God, I hate this.”

Abby’s fingers combed through your hair, massaging your scalp. It was heavenly.

“Does this happen a lot?”

You snorted involuntarily.

“Every night. Several times. I never sleep through and I never sleep enough.” You wiped a hand over your face. “Sorry, I know I’m not the only one and it could be worse. It’s just… hard.”

“Excuse me?” Abby’s tone made you look up at her. “You’re telling me you have several panic attacks in your sleep every night but it’s fine because others have nightmares, too?”

You frowned. Panic attacks? You’d never thought of it that way.

“Y/N, you’re allowed to complain. To me especially. Remember, we wanted to talk about our problems? Be open about all this?”

She was right. You pressed yourself closer to her.

“I guess, yeah. Thank you for… for being here.”

“Wanna tell me about your nightmare?”

You held onto Abby’s shirt, clenching the fabric in your fist as if she might be ripped from you at any moment.

“I don’t know… I mean, why not. Well…” How were you even supposed to explain all this? How would you ever talk about your sister without freaking out again?

Abby pressed a kiss to the top of your head and you felt the tension in your stomach dissolve. You took a deep breath.

“I can never tell I’m dreaming. This time I thought I heard something in the corridor and I went to see what it was. A little girl was scratching on doors, trying to get in. She looked like the… like one of the infected we ran into today. But I made a noise and when she turned around she was... She was -” You gasped for air, trying to keep your calm. Abby hummed softly, stroking your back and giving you time to think.

“She had the face of my sister. Sierra.” You hadn’t said her name out loud in so long, only in the nightmares. Maybe it was time to rid her name of that terror, that fear, and grant it the love and warmth it deserved. “Sierra was my little sister. We ran with a group the last few years, stayed with them after our mom died. But she was bitten and I had to… I had to let her go.” You swallowed hard. Abby’s thumb drew circles on your back.

“So in the dream… the girl turned around and she was her . And I didn’t know what to do. I begged her to stop, to not come any closer because she was infected, she was bleeding, and -” You drew in another breath and buried your face in Abby’s chest. “She asked me why I’d done it, why I had… and she kept coming and then she attacked me and I - I had to, I had to shoot her.”

Hot tears were burning in your eyes and your throat was impossibly tight again. Abby gently placed a hand on your cheek and turned your face up toward her.

“I’m not gonna tell you it was just a dream because I know it's more complicated than that. I get them, too, sometimes. But what I can tell you is that I’m here, that you’re safe now, that your sister is in a better place and that one day you will be able to speak about her without feeling like you’re falling apart.”

“You think so?”

“I’m sure of it. And now you're with me. We can heal together. I’m here, I’ll always be here for you, okay?”

You raised your head from her chest and turned a little in order to get face to face with her.

“Abby?”

“Yeah?”

“Why are you doing this? Why now? I didn’t even think you liked me. You don’t have to take care of me.”

Abby’s features softened and she huffed out a silent laugh.

“I don’t know. I really… You were right when you said we keep everything to ourselves. But some of us do it more than others. And I guess I’m the worst when it comes to showing what I want.”

The sentence hung in the air for a moment. Abby took a deep breath.

“I like you, I really do. I just thought you needed more time. I know what it’s like to suffer and to feel like you can’t breathe. I wanted to give you space. But then I saw you in the car and I immediately knew what was happening. And I finally realized that I wouldn’t make things better by staying away.”

She held your gaze and you felt something shift between you. Her hand on your back came to a halt. You smiled softly.

“I always thought you didn’t find me interesting enough to talk to me. I was so jealous of the others for being this close to you and for making you laugh. I wanted that, too.”

“You’re the most interesting person that’s ever walked into this stadium,” Abby said softly. “God, I’m so sorry. I never wanted you to feel left out.”

You rested your head back on her shoulder.

“You made it up to me already. Really, you saved me today. Twice.”

Abby chuckled.

“Just wait until I have my next breakdown and then you can return the favor. Shouldn’t be long, they get to me every few days.”

You wrapped your arms around her torso.

“Well, then you’ll just have to stay close by.”

She hesitated, holding her breath for a second. You waited.

“Do you want me to stay? Tonight?”

You smiled to yourself.

“Would you?”

“Of course.”

You kept talking for a while. Abby told you about the party and about the cook Nora was currently hooking up with, and you told her about the boy in the kitchen. She recalled training with Danny when she first joined the WLF, laughing about how he had boasted that he wouldn’t lose to a girl and how she had him on the ground in a headlock in about two seconds.

At some point you must have fallen asleep, because the next thing you knew you were in the truck again, sitting in the passenger seat as the car flew through Seattle at top speed. You looked over and in the driver's seat there was the red-haired boy from the kitchen. His face was determined, a hard mask of concentration. He was panting hard, driving as fast as he could. Arrows were flying around you, soaring through the broken windows of the car and missing you by mere inches. A horse was whinnying. Scars. You immediately pulled out your gun and started shooting at everything that moved outside, hitting at least three people and a horse.

“Sorry,” you whispered as you reloaded. Animals weren’t fair.

You looked up and suddenly there was someone standing in the middle of the street. A small girl, brown-haired and in a red dress. Her back was to you. You screamed at the driver, but it was too late. The truck hit the child and it was thrown against the windshield, making a horrible noise as it cracked the glass and rolled over the roof to the back of the car where it fell to the ground. The truck came to a shrieking halt and you jumped out, gun drawn. The scars had vanished. You and the redhead ran back to where the girl was laying in a heap on the street, so small and fragile. Blood was running through the cracks in the pavement.

You turned the girl on her back and froze when you saw her face.

“Sierra! No, no, no, oh god no, what have we done - Sierra, Sierra, baby, look at me!”

“Y/N!” You heard your name but Sierra’s lips weren’t moving. “Y/N!” You whipped your head around and woke up.

It was dark and Abby had an arm wrapped around you, the other was holding your cheek. You swallowed and struggled for air.

“I’ve got you, hey, just breathe for me, I’ve got you.” Abby’s voice was sleepy and rough, something you'd have never thought you’d have the privilege of hearing. It calmed you down instantly. You dug your fingers into her arm, strong muscle flexing beneath your touch.

“Shhh, that’s right, just hold on. You’re okay.” You melted into her arms, hands and legs still shaking. She made a quiet humming noise in the back of her throat and pressed another kiss to your scalp. “I’m here. I’ll take care of you. I’m here.”

“You’re here,” you whispered and she hummed again in response. You rested your head against her chest and listened to her breaths as they slowly became more regular, chest steadily moving against you. Her heartbeat thumped softly in your ear. Cocooned in the wolf’s arms and serenaded by the quiet symphony of her sleeping body, you finally drifted off to sleep again.

[atomic-taco-muffin]

The Lost Princess Chapter 41

Warnings: it’s obvious from the other chapters

Rating: SFW

A Dark Corridor opened and the two girls pushed you out of it. You landed on the ground and looked at them. They walked out of the Corridor and looked at you with scary faces.

“W-who are you?” you asked. 

“I thought that you knew already. I guess we have to explain everything. My name is Yui and this is my twin sister, Roxy. We are the daughters of Xemnas, the leader of Organization XIII. We’re also Spirits like you,” Yui said. You quickly stood up and looked at them.

“I remember now! I’m supposed to show the true meanings of a Spirit,” you said. 

“You? A pathetic weakling such as yourself? That’s too funny!” Roxy said. 

“I’m not a weakling! I’m strong! And I’ll show you just how strong I am! ODILE!” You held your dagger up and Odile was summoned.

“Heh. We’ll see about that. Ready, sister?” Yui said. 

“Ready,” Roxy said. The two of them held their hands together and raised their guns in the air.

“SAPPHITE, WE SUMMON YOU!” they yelled. Flames surrounded the two girls and two wolves were summoned. You looked at the wolves and got scared. There’s no way you could defeat those.

“Now then, let’s have some Spirit competition then!” Roxy said. You held onto your dagger and the three of you attacked. 

The trio had arrived in the Land Of Dragons away from a village that was burning. A hawk flew through the air. A single man stood in the midst. The hawk landed on his shoulder and he smiled. A soldier watched from a bamboo grove.

“See that, Mulan? It's Shan-Yu, leader of the Hun army! C'mon, girl. This is your big chance!” Mushu said. The shadow of a large dragon surrounded by red smoke on a large rock was talking with the soldier.

“I can see it now: ‘Fa Mulan whups public enemy number one!’ You gonna be famous! I'm talkin' A-list!” Mushu said.

“Mushu, I'm not sure... I haven't even joined the army yet. I have to take my father's place to preserve the Fa family honor. I just hope I don't get discovered,” Mulan said. 

“Whatever. You just scared---admit it.”

“Aren't you?” The dragon placed a hand on his forehead. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were walking though the grove, when Goofy spotted their conversation and stopped. They saw the shadow and became suspicious.

“A Heartless?” Donald asked. 

“Let's get the jump on 'im!” Sora said. Sora and Donald ran ahead.

“Gawrsh, maybe we better look before we leap,” Goofy said. Mulan gasped as they ran in. Mushu jumped from behind the rock into Mulan's arms. He was definitely not a large dragon.

“Is that Mushu?” Goofy asked. Mushu popped out from behind Mulan.

“That's right, I know you heard of me! I'm little, lethal, and legendary! Now y'all scram before I get my dragon dander up!” he said. 

“Hey, Mushu! We missed you!” Sora said. 

“Yeah, well you better HOPE I miss YOU, or else you're---you're...Sora! Donald! Goofy!”

“Do you know them?” Mulan asked. Mushu hopped onto the ground.

“Know them? Man, we used to kick all kinds of bad guy butt together! Yeah, you know, I helped these guys out of a lot of tight spots. 'Cause I'm a mighty dragon! Right?” he said as he leaned against Sora's leg. Mulan was hesitant to show herself. Sora moved his leg and Mushu fell over.

“Something like that. And...you are?” Sora said. 

“I'm Mulan. Um, no, I-I mean...” Mulan quickly lowered her voice.

“Ping!” she said. 

“Mulan Ping?” Donald asked. 

“Just...Ping. I am Ping, son of Fa Zhou.”

“You know Mushu?” Sora asked. 

“Mushu's one of my family's guardians.”

“We didn't know we were borrowin' somebody as important as a family guardian,” Goofy said. Mushu popped up.

“Yeah, that's right!” he said as he scurried back onto Ping’s shoulders.

“And that puts you three up to your eyeballs in debt to Ping here,” he said. Ping smiled awkwardly. 

“Well, guess what, kiddies? It's payback time!” Mushu said. 

“Mushu...” Mulan said to him.

“Ah, they don't mind. Ain't that right?”

“Hmm, sounds fair,” Sora said. 

“See, Ping here was just on his way to join the Imperial army.” Mushu switched shoulders.

“We gotta go find the other recruits over at the training camp,” he said. 

“Would you join us? It'll be easier to fit in if I'm with guys, like you,” Ping said. 

“What do you mean, ‘fit in’?” Sora asked. 

“Well, um, uh, don't---don't worry about that,” Mushu said.

“You're pretendin' to be a boy, aren't ya?” Goofy asked. Sora and Donald jumped in surprise.

“You're a...girl?” Sora asked. 

“You didn't notice?” Mulan asked sheepishly.

“Uh-uh,” Donald said. 

“Not me,” Sora said. 

“I think it's working,” Mulan said to Mushu.

“I don't know---those two would fall for anything,” Mushu said. 

“I'm right here!” Sora said. 

“Hey!” Donald said. The five of them soon walked into the encampment.

“Remember, girl---manly!” Mushu said. Ping straighten up and did a very awkward strut into the camp. Sora joined a line of soldiers before being pushed from his spot by Yao.

“'Bout time we got some grub,” Yao said. 

“Hey, no cutting!” Sora said. 

“Get out!” Donald said. Yao punched Sora in the face. Donald mumbled something and pounced on Yao.

“Back off!” Yao said. Him and Donald exchanged punches. 

“Uh-oh!” Goofy said. Ling and Chien-Po came along.

“Hey, a space in line!” Ling said. He ended up pushing Yao farther from the line. Chien-Po accidentally knocked Ling and Yao away from the line.

“I wonder what they're serving for lunch today,” Chien-Po said. Yao soon got Donald off him.

“Knuckle sandwiches!” Yao said as he punched Ling. 

“That does it!” Sora said. Donald knocked Ling down and started jumping on his back. Sora tried to grab Yao, but Yao knocked Sora's hands away. Chien-Po, Goofy, and Ping just stood there not really knowing what to do.

“I’m hope you’re faring better than we are now, (Y/N),” Goofy said to himself.

“Please!” Mulan said. They all stopped fighting and turned to look at Mulan.

“Please!” Ling said. 

“What a girl!” Yao said. 

“Uh...knock it off!” Ping said.

“Knock what off?” 

“You punched me!” Sora said. 

“Cutting in line!” Donald said. 

“What a shrimp!” Ling said. 

“Who you callin' a shrimp, panda lips? I'm a bona fide guardian dragon!” Mushu said, popping out from Ping’s armour. Ping shoved Mushu back inside.

“L-let's just get back in line, okay?” Ping asked. 

“Whose side are you on? I just got slugged!” Sora said. 

“Want some more?” Yao asked. 

“Soldiers! Get back in line!” Shang said. 

“The Captain!” Ling said. They all quickly regained the line formation. Donald peeked out for a second, then straightened back up. The captain walked down the line staring at each of them. After he left, Sora made a fist, glaring at Yao, before Shadow Heartless appeared. Sora readied his Keyblade.

“What are they?” Mulan asked. 

“Heartless!” Sora said. 

“Oh yeah?” Ling asked. Him, Yao, and Chien-Po readied their fists.

“Ping, I hope you're ready!” Sora said. They successfully got rid of the Heartless and the captain spoke to them.

“You three. What are your names?” Shang said.

“Sora.”

“Donald.”

“Goofy.”

“You're welcome in my troop. Your battle skills are encouraging,” Shang said. 

“I am the son of Fa Zhou---” Ping said. 

“You should return home,” Shang interrupted Ping.

“B-but... That would dishonor my family!”

“You'd rather dishonor my troops?” 

“Don't make me---!” Ping said, trying to be tough.

“If Ping trains hard and does his best, he'll get stronger in no time,” Sora said. 

“Hmm...” Shang said. 

“Just give us an assignment! We'll show you how well we can work together.”

“So...you want to be tested? Our orders are to ambush Shan-Yu's army on their way here. They should be coming through the mountain pass.”

“We'll smash them!” Donald said. 

“I doubt that. You four will be the advance party. Scout out the mountain for my troops.”

“That's it? No problem. Right?” Sora said. 

“R-right,” Ping said. 

“I'll brief you on the details later. Return when you're ready to depart. Remember, the smallest mission may have the greatest purpose. Stay alert!” Shang said. 

“Sir!” Sora, Donald, Goofy, & Ping said. 

~Le Time Skip~

Sora and the others were able to defeat the Heartless at all of the checkpoints. They went back to the encampment to talk to Shang.

“You've done a passable job. But stay alert! This is just the beginning. Shan-Yu has invaded our country. We must stop him at all costs. A mob is heading for the Checkpoint. Stop them while keeping an eye out for strange enemies!” Shang said. Sora and the others defeated the Heartless in the encampment. 

“Hmm, not bad. Now brace yourself for the rest of your assignments. Our objective is to defeat Shan-Yu. Do not fail your mission. It seems the enemy has invaded the camp. Defeat every enemy you encounter!” Shang said. Sora and the others took care of some more Heartless that appeared in the encampment.

“Yes, that's exactly what I need from you. Now, you still have some tasks to do. Stay sharp. You did well,” Shang said. 

“I knew it!” Sora said. 

“Captain...” Ping said. 

“I suppose you've made a little progress...” Shang said to Ping.

“Not a little---a lot!” Donald said.

“No. You're right, Captain. Please give me one more assignment. This time I'll show you what I'm truly made of!” Ping said. 

“I'll give you one more chance. See me when you're ready to depart. Remember, this may be a test, but it's still an important mission. Be alert!” Shang said.

“Sir!” Sora, Donald, Goofy, & Ping said. They all readied themselves.

“Your mission is to secure the path over the summit so our company can pass. I've authorized you to be let through to the summit. Don't let me down!” Shang said. As the group enters the Mountain Trail, a hawk flew overhead. They fought their way to a village.

“Hey, you ain't half bad,” Yao said. 

“A man among men!” Ling said. 

“Thanks!” Ping said. Ling, Yao, and Chien-Po left. Ping looked down.

“But the Captain...” he said.

“Captain!” Sora said. Shang arrived with two foot soldiers.

“Ping sure did great!” Goofy said. 

“You bet he did!” Donald said. 

“Hmm...Fine. I'll let you join my troops... But I'm still not convinced you have what it takes to be a worthy soldier,” Shang said. 

“Why not!?” Sora asked. 

“It's all right, Sora. I'll find a way to show him what I'm made of. Just give me a chance,” Ping said. 

“That's the spirit, Ping,” Shang said. 

“Sir!” Shang and the two foot soldiers continued into the summit.

“Good going, Ping!” Ling said. 

“Thanks!” Ping said. They entered a small village near the summit.

“Okay, girl! Here's your chance! I just saw this real shady guy. And I know it's Shan-Yu,” Mushu said.

“Shan-Yu!?” Ping asked. 

“That's the Hun leader! We've got to tell the Captain!” Sora said. 

“Right!”

“Waaaait wait-wait-wait WAIT! Everybody use their heads a sec. Now, why are we here? To make the Captain see Mulan's---I mean, Ping's talents and bring honor to her family,” Mushu said. Sora, Donald, and Goofy nodded.

“So, let's go find out where Shan-Yu is, by ourselves. Then, if we're lucky, we can fry him up good! Though just tracking the guy down should earn us our stars... Captain Musclehead will have to notice my girl!” Mushu said.

“Okay. Let's go,” Ping said. 

“We'll help out,” Sora said. 

“Now we're cookin'! Shan-Yu is in a cave outside the village!” Mushu said. They entered the Village Cave and found a small shrine.

“Dead end,” Sora said. 

“There's nobody here...” Donald said. 

“You're crazy. Check again!” Mushu said. 

“Oh, well...” Donald started to leave.

“Wait for me, Donald!” Goofy said. Goofy followed Donald out of the cave.

“Hey, wait up!” Sora said. Suddenly, there was a strange shaking.

“Huh?” Ping asked.

“What? What is it?” Mushu asked. A barrier formed at the entrance blocking Donald and Goofy out.

“Sora!” Donald said. 

“Ping!” Goofy said. Shan-Yu laughed and secretly left the cave. Several Heartless appeared in the room, leaving Sora and Ping to take care of them.

“Nice fighting, Ping! You were amazing,” Sora said. The barrier vanished.

“You okay?” Goofy said.

“Yeah, thanks to Ping,” Sora said. 

“C'mon! Time to report to the Captain!” Mushu said.

“But Shan-Yu wasn't here,” Ping said.

“Please! That Hun is old news! We're gonna tell the Captain how thousands of Heartless stormed the cave, and Ping took out almost every one of 'em!” Mushu said. They returned to the Village, which had been reduced to smoking ashes. They found Shang among the rubble clutching his side.

“Captain!” Ping said. Shang tried to stand, leaning against a blackened wall.

“Don't overdo it, Captain!” Sora said. 

“It’s just a scratch,” Shang groaned. He collapsed to the ground slightly.

“Captain, the enemy! Where did they go?” Ping said.

“They went toward the summit...” Shang groaned. 

“We'll stop them!”

“It kinda is our fault,” Goofy said. 

“Right,” Ping said. 

“You mean MY fault,” Mushu said. 

“Uh-uh!” Donald said. 

“Shan-Yu and the Heartless did this, not us! Captain, if you track down the villagers, we'll handle this,” Sora said. They looked toward the summit.

“Let's go,” Sora said. The group ran through the Ridge to the Summit. The hawk flew over them to landed on Shan-Yu's shoulder at the top of the summit. Hundreds of Heartless hovered over the edge of the cliff. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Ping got ready to fight. The hawk flew off Shan-Yu's shoulder as he cleaved the air with his sword.

“Attack!” he yelled. The Heartless charged down the mountain toward the group. Sora tried to fight them off until Shan-Yu sped down the mountain with the group behind him. The hawk flew overhead as Yao, Chien-Po, and Ling entered the summit with a fire cannon.

“Stand back!” Yao said.

“We'll handle this!” Ling said. Yao placed the fire cannon on the snow and aimed it at Shan-Yu. Mulan sew how that's not going to help completely and butted Yao out of the way.

“Sorry!” Ping said. Ping grabbed the fire cannon and ran higher up the mountain. She aimed it at the peak above.

“Oh, a flint, flint, I need so---huh...” She looked at Mushu.

“Me, hey, whoa! Whoa! Wait a second! Ah!” Mushu said. Ping grabbed Mushu and stretched him so his fire breath lit the fire cannon. Mushu ended up on the head of the cannon as it exploded, shooting him off to the mountaintop.

“You're going the wrong way!” he yelled. The cannon hit the mountain, causing an immense avalanche.

“Yes!” Ping said. 

“Captain?” Sora asked. Shang entered with two foot soldiers. Ping looked from Shang to the avalanche, then back at Shang. She ran to the captain.

“Look out!” she said. The snow raced down the summit, plowing over the Heartless and Shan-Yu, heading straight for Sora and the others. Mulan ran to Shang and grabbed him by the hand, pulling him around the rock corner away from the pummeling snow.

“Run for it!” Yao said. Sora and the rest of the troops quickly made a run for it around the rock formation as the snow fell off the edge of the summit. Shang and Ping caught their breath.

“Thanks, Ping,” Shang said. 

“It...was nothing,” Ping said. They stood up.

“I should never have doubted you. From now on, you have my trust,” Shang said. 

“Thank you, Captain,” Ping said. Mushu popped out of the snow.

“First she uses me as a lighter, then she turns me into a cannon ball. The head ancestor's gonna hear about this. You know, that's it! I give up! I can't take this no more. C'mon, Mulan. Let's quit this charade and go home, girl,” he said. 

“Mushu!” Mulan said. 

“Huh?” Mushu saw that Shang was right there and clasped his hands over his mouth.

“Mulan? A woman? It can't be!” Shang said. Mulan said nothing. Sora, Donald, and Goofy ran up to them.

“Ping! Captain!” Sora said. 

“Oh boy, you're okay!” Goofy said.

“You all knew, didn't you? You knew Ping was really a woman in disguise,” Shang said. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were at a loss for words.

“I can't believe you lied to me. The punishment for high treason and dishonoring the Army...is death. Get out of my sight...now. You're all dismissed,” Shang said.

“But Captain...” Sora said. 

“My debt is repaid.” Shang walked back toward the Ridge.

“The Emperor is waiting! Move out!” he said. The troops left the summit. Mulan sighed. Mushu hopped onto her shoulder.

“Mulan... I blew it,” he said. Mulan changed out of her armor.

“Thank you, everyone. Sorry I got you in trouble,” she said.

“It's no big deal. So Ping... I mean, uh, Mulan...what're you gonna do now?” Sora said. 

“Go back home.”

“You know, your daddy's gonna be steamed as a chicken dumpling,” Mushu said. Mulan sighed again. Sora took Donald and Goofy into his arms.

“Relax, we'll take our share of the blame,” he said. 

“Thanks. You're all wonderful friends,” Mulan said. They walked back to the Ridge. The hawk flew overhead to the Summit, where Shan-Yu burst out of the snow and roared in anger. It rang throughout the mountain. The Heartless appeared behind him and the hawk landed on his shoulder. Sora and Mulan saw them.

“Shan-Yu!” Mulan said. 

“He's alive!” Sora said. 

“He's heading for the Imperial City! We've got to warn Shang!” They raced to the city, where the troops had just entered the palace walls.

“---Shang!” Mulan said. Shang stopped.

“Shan-Yu is alive! He's headed this way!” Mulan said. 

“And why should I believe you this time?” Shang asked. 

“But...she's telling you the truth!” Sora said. Donald spotted the hawk flying high above the palace. Shang looked around onto several of the towers as Shan-Yu stood triumphantly upon one. He jumped down to get closer to a way in the palace.

“Guard the palace! Do not let the enemy get anywhere near the Emperor!” Shang said. Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po charged the palace, but the other soldiers remain where they were.

“That's an order!” Shang said. The soldiers stopped in their tracks and changed into Heartless. Shang was speechless. Sora and Mulan took action.

“Captain! We'll secure the courtyard, and you can save the Emperor!” Sora said. Shang stayed where he was.

“That’s an order!” Donald said. Shang nodded and raced to the main palace building. The Heartless surrounded the remaining group. They quickly decimated the Heartless.

“The Emperor's in danger!” Mulan said.

“No time to lose!” Sora said. They ran across Imperial Square to the Palace Gate, where Shan-Yu stood with his sword to the Emperor.

“Now you'll bow to me!” Shan-Yu said. Shan-Yu looked to Mulan, who looked worried. Shang jumped down in the middle of them and knocked Shan-Yu away. Shang helped the Emperor into the Palace and Chien-Po and Ling quickly closed the gate. Shan-Yu got back up as Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Mulan guarded the gate, stopping Shan-Yu in his tracks.

“It ends now!” Mulan said.

“Right now!” Sora said. The hawk landed on Shan-Yu's shoulder as he glowed with dark energy, laughing evilly. After the grueling fight, Shan-Yu clutched his side and fell over, losing the grip on his sword. Mushu jumped around happily.

“Now that's what I call burning some hunny-bun! Aw, yeah! Mulan's the best! Mulan's the best! No, wait a minute---I'm the best! Mushu's the best! Mushu's the best!” he said. Sora and company stood in reverence to the Emperor, who walked out with Shang, a stern look on his face. There were a hundred of people now in Imperial Square.

“I've heard a great deal about you, Fa Mulan,” the Emperor said. Mulan bowed to the Emperor.

“You stole your father's armor, ran away from home, impersonated an Imperial soldier. You deceived your commanding officer, shamed the entire Chinese army, and dishonored your family name,” the Emperor said. 

“We get the picture...” Sora said, impatiently.

“You're a young woman. And in the end...” the Emperor said. Donald looked hopeless.

“...you have saved us all,” the Emperor said. The Emperor bowed to Mulan. She looked up and was completely speechless. The crowd in the square cheered. Sora, Donald, and Goofy congratulated Mulan.

“Your Excellency!” Mulan said. 

“Captain Li?” the Emperor asked. Shang took Shan-Yu's sword and handed it to Mulan.

“Take this, so the world will know what it is you have done for China,” the Emperor said. 

“Thank you,” Mulan said as she bowed again.

“Mulan,” Shang said.

“Yes?” she asked.

“Sora.”

“Sir!”

“Donald.”

“Wak!”

“Goofy.” 

“Yes, sir.”

“Thank you.” Shang bowed slightly. 

“‘Thank you’? Is that all there is to say, Captain? If you wish to win the heart of Fa Mulan, China's bravest woman, you'll have to be a bit more eloquent than that!” the Emperor said. Shang was surprised. The Emperor laughed, as does Mulan.

“Can I get an autograph?” Sora asked Mulan.

“Thanks for everything, Sora,” she said. 

“Now they GOTTA let me go back to bein' a guardian! They GOTTA!” Mushu said. 

“But Mushu, I thought you already WERE a family guardian!” Goofy said.

“What? Oh, no, no---don't even worry about that, that's just real technical. Just for us guardians.”

“You tricked us!” Sora said. 

“No, no no no, see I did---I just, uh...” Mushu turned to run away.

“You know, I just didn't wanna bog y'all down with all the Guardian-ese. See, it's very complex, a lot of fine print. You wouldn't understand,” he said. Shan-Yu's sword started to glow and Sora stopped chasing Mushu.

“Huh?” Sora asked. Sora got out the Keyblade and opened another gate.

“Okay!” Donald said.

“Guess it's about time to be movin' on,” Goofy said. 

“You shall be missed,” the Emperor said.

“Is it okay if we come back to visit?” Sora asked. 

“Of course!” Mulan said. 

“We will look forward to your return,” Shang said. 

“You two play nice,” Sora said.

“Whoa... Watch it, soldier!” Mulan blushed as Sora waved goodbye. They turned to look at each other. Mulan giggled. Mushu popped up onto her shoulder and laughed.

“Goodbye, Sora, Donald, Goofy!” Mulan said. Sora, Donald, and Goofy walked down the steps of the Imperial Palace and left the Land of Dragons.

“Don’t worry, (Y/N). We’re coming,” Sora said. 

to be continued...

[peterstanslizzie]

Reacting To: Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (Season 2 Episode 5)

Episode Title: Fun Gus Part 1

Spoiler Warning: Kindly proceed if you’ve already seen the episode or are able to handle spoilers.

1. Just like last episode, this particular one begins with a flashback and this time, it’s Kipo’s parents, Song and Lio Oak whom are climbing up a building with tree roots along its walls. The reach the top and they’re amazed by the view of Las Vistas and the different kinds of mutes living there. Song looks almost exactly like Kipo; Only less...pink. 

2. Song has figured out a way to reverse the effects of the mutation in the mutes. And we find out that Hugo aka Scarlemagne was one of the mutes she’s basing her research on! So that explains the supposed backstory between Lio and Scarlemagne we’ve detected in previous episodes. 

3. Also, the reason why they’re there in the surface world is to find out more information about the mutes and how to turn them back to normal. However, both Song and Lio don’t agree with their team’s plans and they decide to hide Song’s research findings from them, especially after discovering that Hugo is able to say her name. Now I’m really curious as to why Hugo ended up becoming so anti-human. I guess it’s due to him seeing how humans have been treating animals over the years or something. 

4. I just find their interactions to be absolutely precious. They’re also planning to stay on the surface for as long as they can.

5. We’re now back to the present and we see Super Dave carrying his friends over a couple of blocks without molting (I never knew this word till now). They notice that Dave has been able to prolong the very form he’s in, far longer than before. 

6. Kipo tells the group that they’re almost at her parents old burrow and she also can’t wait to possibly find out more things about her mom. I’m beginning to wonder if she really died from burrow pox or not? Anyways, Kipo pulls out the map given to her by Cappuccino and it looks like they need to pass through one last checkpoint, a cheese waterfall. 

7. They are suddenly interrupted by the water mute Mulholland (from last season), who came through a fire hydrant lol. He’s obviously not welcomed by them, especially after what he did to them before. 

8. At Scarlemagne’s Court, we see the representatives from the 4 pro-Scarlemagne mute groups including the Mod Frogs, Scooter Skunks, Humming Bomber and Newton Wolves entering his residence and being in awe of the place. He wants them to “sing” to him where they think the Mega Monkey might be. Kwat, the Mod Frog sings to him, revealing that it’s in Cactus Town. Because of that, she gets first dibs on a luxury home in the work-in-progress city of Aurum.

9. To my surprise, Scarlemagne reveals that he will be going on the hunt for the Mega Monkey. I gotta say; I do like a pro-active super-villain. We shift things over to the ever-mysterious cloaked individuals who are rushing over to find the Mega Monkey by following an ant trail (because monkeys eats ants?) before Scarlemagne can. But we do find out one of their names: Greta.

10. They spot Scarlemagne and his crew flying through the sky and carrying the mind-control collar for the monkey. So, they need to hurry. I’m starting to think that they’re just humans; I mean look at those eyes. 

11. Back to Mulholland; He reveals to them that he is now a travelling nomad or nomads and that Kipo is going to find what she’s looking for. He then leaves. That was certainly random. Anyways, they now seem to be near that cheese waterfall place because they finally arrive at the entrance of her parents burrow and there’s cheese everywhere. Correction. FUNGUS everywhere...eww and it moves too. Despite finding the burrow, they still need to find her parents’ apartment.

12.  Next, we see the three cloaked individuals riding on a giant dragonfly and tailing behind Scarlemagne and the Nobles. Can the show just tell us who these people are? I’m kinda tired of referring to them as the “cloaked individuals” lol. All of a sudden, a high-pitched sound appears out of nowhere, causing everyone to fall from the sky. It turns out to be the doing of the Umlaut snakes. Looks like these guys are going to take on Scarlemagne but they’re probably not going to beat him I think. 

13. Kipo discovers that her parents’ old burrow used to be inhabited by a group of scientists, including her parents of course. They then realize that the apartments are arranged in alphabetical order and they make their way over to the O side to find the Oak’s apartment. Oh and Dave is now in his elderly form after being scared by the fungus creature or whatever. And he is the only one who’s noticing that the orange fungus is moving. 

11:59

14. Because humans aren’t as sensitive to sound compared to mutes, Scarlemagne orders his human Nobles to destroy the snakes’ equipment. Scarlemagne orders his followers to attack and the scene cuts off. I’m actually worried about the snakes; I hope they are gonna be alright. 

15. The gang is inside the apartment and they’re going through some of their things like their bed, kitchenware and Kipo’s old baby clothes to which she is keeping one of them. Kipo then notices drawings of constellations on their ceiling and points out that the Leo constellation has an extra star, which is actually just a button that opens up a secret panel.

16. The panel reveals a book with the title, “Project Kipo”. She grabs it and starts browsing through it. To sum up what she read, it’s basically about combining Kipo’s DNA with the DNA of apex predators like the jaguar. Other apex predators include the falcon, monkey and Komodo dragon. So this explains in scientific detail why Kipo is their “hybrid-baby”. As a Biochemistry graduate, I find the incorporation of recombinant DNA technology in the story-lines of cartoons to be exciting.

17. Again, I like how Kipo isn’t upset at her parents in any capacity for pretty much making her their science experiment. I’d probably be angry but then again, I’m not Kipo lol. Meanwhile, Dave is freaking out because he saw a face on the wall and calls out for Benson to come over. But yet again, nothing happens when anybody but Dave (and Mandu) shows up to check it out.

18. As Kipo goes further into her reading, we get more flashbacks of Song and Lio in that same apartment. Pretty much this book is also Song’s journal/diary it seems. Song comes home to reveal that she’s pregnant with Kipo and Lio is overwhelmed with joy. Aww, this is sooo adorable. I’m getting chills. They are such goals. 

19. After reading the part about the pregnancy, Kipo obviously gets very emotional, in a good way. And she, Wolf and Benson get into a group hug. The love fest is short-lived, however, because Dave is still freaking out about the “ghosts”. Benson gets annoyed and shouts at him and tells him to molt into someone more fun. This hurts Dave’s feelings and he plus Mandu walk away. But suddenly, the fungus mute/creature shows up on the wall again with a face this time and it also has the voice of a toddler. It then grabs hold of both of them and drags them through the wall. That was way spooky. 

20. Whilst the snakes are fighting off Scarlemagne’s minions, the cloaked individuals are using this opportunity to grab the giant collar and take it away from Scarlemagne’s reach. The leader of the cloaked group heads inside the den where the Mega Monkey is sleeping. Now I’m thinking that these individuals are human beings because she said “for the future of humanity”. After thinking through it some more, I predict that they were Lio and Song’s old scientist colleagues. 

21. Why didn’t Kipo, Wolf or Benson hear what was going on outside the apartment?; They need to get their ears checked. Kipo is still focused on the book and she reads that her mom was making kimchi and peanut butter. As she’s opening the jar, she accidentally breaks the entire jar without any effort. She seems to have super-strength as a side effect and she grew fur on her arm earlier, revealing to all of us that she’s a Mega Jaguar too. Therefore, I’m pretty sure her mom’s not dead. But if that’s the case, why d id Lio lie to Kipo for all her life about her mom dying from an illness? 

22. After getting all excited by this discovery, the fungus mute steals the journal (which should be Kipo’s anchor) from her. And the episode ends here.

23. I absolutely loved this episode. I liked being able to see the past interactions between Lio and Song through Kipo reading Song’s journal. Stay tuned tomorrow for when I will be posting my review of episode 6. Thanks for reading everyone! Bye!

[oracleact]

I don’t know why people hate them together so much...they had beautiful interactions in z2, both distant and up close.

did you not hear how eliza talked about him after seeing him at cheer practice - that little smirk on her face as she left zed to his jealousy, knowing that nothing would happen between wyatt and addison anyway?

did you see the way wyatt looked at her dancing in the den - when eliza unleashed her zombie form with pure pride and he was heart eyeing her like it was just the two of them in the room?

that moment at prawn has got to be the exact moment wyatt realised he had properly fallen for her: he was a slightly distant admirer now dancing with the fierce and proud girl his affection has been drawn to. he looked giddy!

The fact Wyatt and Eliza canonically like each other and are a couple now oh my God they are so cute ❤️❤️❤️

[funfactory-moved]

rip i meant to say claude's route...whoops. i was probably thinking about how dedue is so obsessed with dimitri that my mind blanked lol i definitely prioritize battle days but make sure to do at least one or two exploration days a month! gotta love spending copious amounts of time fishing... for battling i focus on small teams (like 4-6 units) to level up that are also able to gain support points and then just grind them until they reach certain level "checkpoints" lol playing this during quarantine made me realize how much patience i can have for games for literally no purpose

also it's been awhile so i'm not sure but i think i'm just playing classic mode on normal?? next playthrough i might try hard since i chronically tend to overlevel everyone but if hard is anything like ashen wolves i might change my mind sdkfskmdfs i also was ready to be done by the final chapter

LOL it’s ok i figured u were just thinking abt blue lions nd wrote dimitri’s name by accident. but yea i love fishing sm 😭 like i love the whole idea of like “yea we’re literally fighting a war rn but that’s not gonna stop me from fucking around at the fishing pond for an entire day” fjdjjdsjf

nd oooh ok i get u.,, are u using the battles tht don’t cost activity points nd just kinda grinding w/ those?? or are u using the ones tht cost points?? just wondering bc when u play hard mode, u lose those freebie battles so it’s hard to find the opportunity to farm ur skill points n level up 😵‍💫 but i kinda do the same thing!! like i’ll push my weaker units to the front until they’re equal w/ my stronger dudes nd all that

also hard is fine it just takes getting used to!! nd sometimes the maps have more enemies and more recruitments and i THINK u level up a little slower than u do on normal mode???

[virtualhavenmag-blog]

The Mooseman Review - Mythologically Mystifying 

The Mooseman is a simple, educational, and atmospheric adventure that leaves more of an impression through visuals than gameplay.

Hero’s Journey

The story is based on Finno-Ugric culture. You play as the Mooseman and must traverse from the Lower World, to the Middle World, and finally the Upper World where the ancient gods reside. Progression is possible thanks to the Mooseman’s ability to see hidden spirits and objects. Hitting one button changes the game’s visuals such as a rock turning into a moveable spirit, allowing players to place platforms and cross chasms. 

While the player only moves left and right, the visuals cover the foreground, middle ground, and background in unique ways. The beginning forest area and swamp look generic and feel almost too basic in terms of gameplay. However, once I reached the cave my opinion began to change as the game created an engaging sense of atmospheric immersion. The sound of water droplets, the eye-catching drawings, and different lighting arrangements paired with shadows combine into a feast for the senses.

An Almost Too Educational Experience

Throughout the game, players collect optional artifacts and read myths that shed more light on the story. While some are hidden, others are presented to the player. Learning more about the culture is interesting and kept me looking forward to what would happen next, but constant myths and artifacts disrupt the flow of the game. Obtaining a new one means pausing the game and navigating counterintuitive menus to read about it. Although minor, there’s no quick way out of menus. You have to manually select back on every one and then hit continue to resume playing. 

Immersion is important to this genre. The Mooseman’s stop and go nature ruins the immersion and at times makes the experience tedious. Pausing to read more is similar to turning the page on a big picture book and occasionally made me wonder if the game would have been better off in a different medium. 

There’s also the issue of telling the player about the mythology instead of showing them. The myths could have been integrated more seamlessly and frequently into the gameplay. For instance, when I walked past the guardian of the Underworld, I had to stop and read a description instead of learning it through gameplay. The game may have benefited from more narration like the ones between sections. Additional dialogue would keep players in the action while still teaching them about the culture.

Finding the Path Forward

Despite my desire for more challenging puzzles, variation and quick progression provide players with constant satisfaction. Over the course of a roughly two-hour journey, players will hit switches, match shapes, ride a bird, and fire a bow and arrow. Auto walking comes in handy and is never risky due to the game’s convenient checkpoint system. There’s no penalty for dying. Even if you collect an artifact and die before reaching another checkpoint, you’ll still have it.

Reaching new sections is somewhat jarring because the game abruptly stops after a few seconds between new areas and narration. Personal favorite areas include the snow, wind, and starry backdrops. Things like walking on snow sound exactly like they should. The music on the other hand is at its best when minimalistic. Finding hidden artifacts sometimes requires more challenging routes involving multiple enemies, making the acquisition of knowledge feel even more rewarding.

It’s Dangerous To Go Alone

Spirits are both friendly and hostile. Realizing some of the “harmless” background spirits actually attack and instantly kill you adds to the experience. While there aren’t many enemies in the game, their sequences make for some of the most memorable moments. The sad whimpering wolves, a morbid feeding sequence, and just making sure you aren’t seeing spirits in the wrong place at the wrong time are some of the standouts.

There are a few encounters that can be called “bosses” featuring indirect “fights.” Ominous shadows or creatures appear in the foreground or background a few segments before they confront the player. I won’t spoil these but the river and Upper World fights make clever use of the gameplay elements in ways that I wish were further expanded on elsewhere.

The player largely remains the same throughout the game except for one mandatory power that shields them from harm.

Reaching The Upper World

As an atmospheric game, your enjoyment of The Mooseman will greatly depend on your level of immersion. Do the graphics click with you, is the mythology compelling enough to learn more, and does this sound how you think it should?

While it provides a pleasant experience that can be completed in one or two sessions, the large amount of text and lack of memorable sequences prevent The Mooseman from being something great. However, it excels in establishing a strong atmosphere, which was one of the game’s primary goals.

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Score

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Good Bad "Boss" Fights Lack of Challenge Varied Visuals Too Much Text Simple Puzzles Not Very Memorable Sound Design

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- 7/10 -

[bmaxwell]

Top games of 2019

For much of the year I thought I might have a hard time building a solid list of 10 games. As it turned out, I could have made a top 20 without much trouble. So it was a good year for games, but maybe there weren’t many 10/10 classics for me. I did have BT’s, BB’s, and even a BD-1 though!

First up, my Old Game of Year: Yakuza 0

The dichotomy between Yakuza 0′s melodramatic main story and its silly tongue-in-cheek side missions made the game an absolute joy to play. One minute you’re dealing with warring Yakuza factions and torn loyalties, and the next you’re doing minigames like karaoke, bowling, RC car racing, and darts, and then you’re helping a dominatrix find her confidence or helping a human statue sneak away from his post to go take a much-needed shit. All throughout you’re also beating the shit out of legions of street thugs and yakuza dudes using kicks, punches, bats, bicycles, salt shakers, teapots, and whatever else is handy. I fell in love with this game in a way I very much did not expect.

Also good ”old” games:  World of Final Fantasy, Ni No Kuni 2, Steamworld Heist, Odin Sphere Leifthrasir

Best Music: Death Stranding

The game’s score is good, but the licensed music was key in some of Death Stranding’s best moments. The above song starts playing during your first journey in the game, and the tone is just spot-on perfect. Death Stranding works for me in a similar way that American Truck Simulator works for me. When you’re barely surviving a long trek, and a peaceful, melancholy song starts playing just as you reach the top of the hill and finally see your destination? Just perfect.

Also excellent music: Sayonara Wild Hearts

Most disappointing: Control

Well, I got fucking Alan Wake’d by Remedy again. Fantastic atmosphere and setting for a game, cocked up by repetitive, boring combat. So much about Control is so very good. I love the mystery of the janitor and the main character, the Twilight Zone/X-Files vibe of the agency and the Oldest House. The game’s architecture is arresting, and the writing is excellent. 

But for me it was undone by the combat which quickly became a tedious, thing I had to Get Through to see more of the good stuff, and the more challenging fights became something I just didn’t want to engage with anymore. The checkpoint system and maps weren’t helpful, and I received too many optional side quests that I couldn’t complete because I hadn’t found the necessary traversal power yet. I loved so much about the game, but the moment to moment playing of the game was frequently not fun for me.

Ultimately it felt like a game that did not respect my time. The game desperately needed an Easy setting so I could just blow through the bits that I didn’t like. Like Alan Wake, I expect to be pulled back into it and then bounce off again at least two more times. 

And now, the games that were in the running for the top 10 but missed the cut:

Dicey Dungeons:

You roll dice and spend them to activate equipment, gaining more equipment as you go. It’s a close cousin to deckbuilding games, but a little lighter and more forgiving. Slotting dice into cards feels good though. The variety in characters and cards help give this game good replay value. Give me randomized cards/gear, and characters to unlock in a run-based game and I’m a happy guy.

Judgment:

Yakuza minus Kiryu and Majima, with some investigation minigames thrown in. It’s pretty good! Most of the new detective minigames feel like they get in the way (tailing people is just silly, taking photos doesn’t work great). I never really felt strongly compelled to stick with it though. I miss the charm of Kiryu and the grime of 80′s Kamurocho. It’s an excellent game I might have enjoyed more if I hadn’t played Yakuza first.

Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon: Everybuddy!:

This port of a Nintendo Wii roguelike is one that I missed in its original incarnation. It’s got the “I move - all the enemies move” turn-based gameplay that I love, and classes to unlock. All of this is very much my shit. It’s goofy the way that Final Fantasy games are, and the design feels older than it is (I thought it was a PS2 port before I looked it up). But hey - give me stuff to unlock and the old “I move - you move” gameplay and, again, I’m a happy guy.

Ring Fit Adventure

This game is getting me to exercise just about every day. It’s not a great video game (nor should it try to be) but as a workout tool it’s wonderful for someone like me who has trouble finding the time and motivation to go out of the house and exercise.

Untitled Goose Game

You are a winged angel of chaos in this joyous little game. I found the gameplay itself to be pretty shallow and lacking, but it’s a wonderful sandbox to play in. Tormenting people is great fun, and the way the goose animates is just perfect.

Table of Tales: The Crooked Crown

This was the PSVR game that stood out the most for me this year. It’s a tactical RPG complete with a DM that narrates everything, tiles to move your characters around on, and card-based combat. It’s a charming game and I hope they make more. 

Luigi’s Mansion 3

This was my first game in the series, and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It’s a charming game, and the variety from floor to floor. I could forgive the wonky control scheme, but I think there’s just a low ceiling on how much a cutesy, family-friendly Nintendo title can resonate with me these days.

Dragon Quest Builders 2

Dragon Quest and Minecraft had a baby. This was my favorite game of the year for turning my brain off and checking things off a list. I’m not sure Dragon Quest Builders 2 is a Great Game, but it’s wonderful gaming comfort food for a Dragon Quest fan.

Void Bastards

Void Bastards might be this year’s Dead Cells - a run based game that never quite hooked me, but I’ll keep coming back to it. The developers really did a lot without a lot of variety in the way of art assets. It’s a satisfying, often funny shooter (admittedly not my jam). What a terrific name though.

Steamworld Quest

The Steamworld series is an impressive, weird thing. I’ve never seen a series change genres like this; they started with Steamworld Dig (Metroidvania) then made Heist (a tactical combat game) then another Dig, and finally this year they released Steamworld Quest - a deckbuilding RPG. Customization and unlockables are among my favorite gaming buzzwords, and they’re here in spades.

Sayonara Wild Hearts

More of a visual companion set to a pop album than a conventional game. This is for me what Rez was for a lot of folks. Most stages are autorunners where you’re collecting hearts, dodging obstacles, shooting giant wolves, and fighting lesbians while racing atop motorcycles. It’s a story about love, heartbreak, and finding yourself, told through music and images. Nice to have a game that feels like it was made specifically for marginalized folks.

10. Concrete Genie

Concrete Genie’s best trait is its earnestness - an increasingly rare thing in 2019. It’s about an artistic being pursued by bullies in a run-down town. He finds a magic brush that lets him paint friendly monsters into life and also paint magical landscape scenes onto buildings in an effort to bring life back to the town.

The themes of the game and how they’re handled feel a little after school special to me, but the game has a lot of heart. And the gameplay loop of creating monsters, painting buildings, and unlocking new types of things to paint never got old because it’s so damned beautiful. And you have a lot of room to be creative with how you paint. The game is not challenging, and I think the experience is better for it. There is some light platforming, puzzling, and combat, but none of it ever got frustrating. A wholesome game like this was a very welcome thing this year.

9. Indivisible

Indivisible is a odd mashup of platformer, RPG, and fighting game that blends those well enough that I can't easily put it into any one box. For me, it’s the closest to a fighting game I’ve played in probably 20 years. It has launchers and finishers and timed blocks. You collect a big old army of people you can swap in and out, the writing is smart. The platforming parts are the weakest part of the game, as some of the jumping challenges can feel uneven, and there’s a lot of “I see what I have to do, now I just need to try over and over until I execute”

The setting (Asian mythology as a backdrop) and combat felt unique enough to keep me going, and the game has a charm and personality. I like how the main character is a well-intended fuck up that has to atone for her mistakes, somewhat reminiscent of Mae from Night in the Woods.

8. Children of Morta

This is an action RPG with character progression where you are playing members of a family. The gameplay is solid, and the game drip feeds story and character interaction between runs. It’s a well-narrated and charming thing. The writing can be funny and often touching. There are story bits like the uncle crafting a pair of daggers for Kevin, who falls in love with them. Mary - his mother - takes them away for being too dangerous, and she doesn’t want her boy putting himself at risk helped me feel invested in the characters and story more than most ARPG’s.

The movement and combat feel snappy, and there are plenty of skills to unlock so you always feel like progress was made even when a run falls short. There are plenty of little secrets and tchotchkes to find in the dungeons, and between runs you can see the family members doing their own thing in the house where they live together. It’s a refreshing take on the action RPG genre.

7.  Outer Worlds

I remember when The Outer Worlds was announced at The Game Awards. None of this checks any boxes for me: sci-fi setting, shooting, wacky characters. You can make your character DUMB and get special dialogue choices! Humor in game very rarely works for me, and this sounded like it was going to be that jaded, shitty Rockstar brand of humor. Hard pass from me.

Enter Xbox Game Pass. The Outer Wilds Worlds started getting positive word of mouth and it was included with Game Pass, so I figured I may as well give it a go. I encountered something I didn’t expect: really terrific writing.

I turned the difficulty down to its lowest settings and mowed through the game, savoring the tongue-in-cheek dialogue in a world where corporations own literally everything. The first character you meet is hiding out in a cave because he’s been wounded. Not too wounded to give you the company’s sales pitch though! It’s not the best choice, it’s Spacer’s Choice.

The whole “corporations are in charge” bleak humor hits more than it misses, but the real star of the show is your companions. They are generally convincing and feel like real, fleshed out characters and not simple tropes. Each companion character gets their own interesting set of side quests (except for the dumb boring robot companion). My first companion Parvati’s story revolved around mustering the courage to pursue a romantic relationship with a woman. They wrote Parvati as an asexual character, and it felt natural and not forced - not an easy task. 

It leans into being a dumb video game in all the right ways and made me care about the characters more than the story. The story’s cynicism wore thin eventually, but the game ended at just about the right time and didn’t overstay its welcome.

6. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Jedi Fallen Order lies at the intersection of 2 things I admire more than enjoy: Star Wars and Souls-likes. It’s also EA doing their best to show that they can release a AAA Star Wars game with no microtransactions after the tire fire that was Star Wars Battlefront II. This game is an excellent make-good for EA, though I’m sure it’s more “We had to do this to restore consumer trust in us” than any real change of heart.

This game, at the time of this writing on a base PS4 anyhow, has some jank. Textures would often pop in after a second or two, I had a Stormtrooper get stuck in place like a statue, and I had a couple of hard crashes. Despite all of that, I kept coming back to the game every night until it was finished. And it impressed me enough to put an EA Star Wars game in my top 10. You win, universe. The combat was a good balance of fun shit like force-pushing dude off a cliff and tense one-on-one battle where parries and dodges are needed to get by.

The game’s story is what kept me wanting to see what was next. It’s a game set in the Star Wars universe with the confidence to resist reminding you of the characters and places you know from the films, and it’s better for it. I found myself invested in the fates of the characters. While the main character is more or less a blank cipher for the player, he’s still a better protagonist than Anakin Skywalker because I didn’t actively dislike him.

5. Bloodstained 

New games succeeding as remakes or homages with goofy videogame-ass videogame stuff was sure a theme this year. Bloodstained is so ridiculous in so many ways. A lady asked me to bring her a specific piece of armor to honor one of the fallen villagers. When I did so, she tearfully thanked me then gave me 3 pizzas as a reward. The paintings on the walls will often come to life and attack you; those paintings are all portraits of people who backed the game on Kickstarter. One of the enemies resembles a giant house cat, another is a giant domestic dog. NPC’s repeat the same dialogue, such as a quest giver named Lindsay who says “Kill those murderers DEAD!” every time you speak to her. 

And there is a metric ton of shit to find, collect, and craft. Most of the gear you equip looks goofy as hell. And the more new skills and gear you unlock, the more overpowered and broken you feel. The dialogue is corny as hell and plays things straight, which is the only way a screwball game like this actually works. The combat feels good. Experimenting with the powers and systems is a blast, and uncovering the map and secrets is satisfying. 

4. Fire Emblem 3 Houses

- Despite being extremely my kind of shit on the surface, I’ve never done more than dabble with a Fire Emblem game. When I heard people invoking Persona and Harry Potter. I mean, a strategy RPG with relationship stories set in a school environment checks too many of my boxes to ignore.

What surprised me with the game is how much I came to really know the students in my house.* I felt like I knew Bernadetta, Dorothea, Ferdinand, Edelgard, and all the others. Alternating between exploring the school grounds, choosing lesson plans, having tea with a student, and leading them into battle was a nice way to mix up the experience. Training them in skills based on which character class you wanted to promote them to was a nice touch. 

3. Death Stranding

Death Stranding has all of the batshittery it was rumored to have: Norman Reedus hiking around with a baby in a jar, poo grenades, tar squids, and people with names like Die Hardman, Mama, and Fragile. Kojima has about as much subtlety as David Cage with the metaphors and themes of the game. Cell phones latch onto you like handcuffs, and Likes are much sought after to the point where people are addicted to them. The game is all about reuniting America and forging connections. You play as a man named Sam. He’s a porter who works for the Bridges company. His name is Sam Porter Bridges.

Sam is playing a major role in reconnecting the country by hand delivering packages from city to city as well as reconnecting the country up to wifi. Continuing with the games themes, Sam has a touch phobia. It’s a game about isolation and introspection, and about the need for connection with one another. Hideo Kojima makes for damn certain that you know that when you play the game. It’s a little like David Cage, but with less cringe and more weirdness. 

It’s an introspective game full of small moments. Sam curling up under a structure that another player has built, exhausted and cradling his jar baby as a melancholy song plays is the kind of moment that doesn’t play well in a demo or a video, and won’t resonate with everyone. Those of us it does work for, however, are in love with the experience. It takes the hard-to-describe appeal of a game like American Truck Simulator and adds a decidedly human element to it. There is comfort to motion and travel. We like to be rocked, or transported in a vehicle as babies. It’s the simple comfort of motion, and a way to connect to our world. There’s something to that.

I love seeing this level of ambition and weirdness from a major AAA release. 

2.  Disco Elysium

He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man.

I thought of Dr Gonzo of Hunter S Thompson fame early and often while playing Disco Elysium. It’s an easy connection to make; you wake up face down on the floor of a demolished hotel room. You have a wicked hangover, wearing nothing but your undies. Your necktie whirls around the ceiling, attached to the ceiling fan.

I got sloppily dressed and staggered out my door, where I was confronted by an attractive woman in the hall. Some primal part of my character thinks it’s a good idea to ask her to fuck; you crudely do so, and it goes the way you might expect. I was fresh off of playing The Outer Worlds, so I was used to any dialogue prompt associated with a skill being automatically a positive thing. As it turns out, your character gets all sorts of a impulses that aren’t always in your best interests. This first interaction put me off a little bit, I don’t want to play a game that’s trying to be cool and edgy. As it turns out, this isn’t really that.

In Disco Elysium, you play as a cop sent to sort out a murder where a body was found hanging in a tree behind this hotel. Seems that, after 3 days, you’ve managed to run up a hotel bill that you can’t pay for, frighten the patrons by threatening to shoot yourself in the head in the hotel before you lose your badge and your gun. Another cop is sent to assist you since you’ve accomplished exactly nil after 3 days. He’s from another precinct and doesn’t know you, so you haven’t burned up all of your goodwill with him yet (unlike everyone else in your life).

At a glance, it’s a Baldur’s Gate-style isometric RPG with a modern setting. In practice, it’s a lot more than that. First off, the game has no combat. Or rather, no conventional combat. Any physical encounters (which were exceedingly rare in my play) are handled through dialogue choices determined by how you’ve built out your skills. And the way the game manifests your skills is smart and feels organic, not forced.

The skills aren’t the usual RPG fare. There are 24 of them, consisting of stuff like Visual Calculus, volition, Pain Threshold, and Shivers. As you might have guessed, 24 skills in a game with no conventional combat means there is a LOT of writing in this game and just as much variance from one play to the other. My detective was a highly emotionally sensitive guy, able to pick up on what folks may be hiding, very in-tune with the cosmos, and deeply introspective (upsettingly so?).

It’s a detective RPG with a healthy dose of political intrigue, class warfare, and nihilism. Disco Elysium feels like an actual adult game, and not in the “look at all this violence and titties” sense. The best comparison I have is Planescape Torment.

1. Resident Evil 2

- What a complete game. This was my first Resident Evil game and I am in love with it. The game drops you into a hostile environment that slowly transitions from a horror show with danger around every corner to feeling like a space that was very much mine. Creeping around an unfamiliar environment in the dark with a flashlight and limited ammunition, as it turns out, is fun as hell. 

The combat is slow and deliberate in a way that made the action feel satisfying and not cheap; when I did encounter enemies that moved quickly and suddenly, it got my heart rate going. And my arc with Mr X from pure terror to minor annoyance to acceptance as part of this undead infested police station I call home felt pretty special. 

He is an indestructible character that follows you endlessly like the Terminator. You’re faster, but he is relentless. Hearing his heavy footsteps somewhere in the vicinity was a nice atmospheric touch. I had a couple of instances where I was running from something, turned a corner and collided with this 8 foot tall beast.

Resident Evil 2 is just the ideal dose of scariness, and gets all the dumb videogame-y parts exactly right. It feels like a Metroidvania, a world filled with locks and keys where the secrets are drip-fed to the player. Creeping through an unfamiliar area with only 2 shotgun shells and 5 pistol rounds left was a deliciously tense experience, one that other games rarely give me.

The game’s second playthrough felt a lot more different from the first than I’d feared. I’ve never really played another Resident Evil game, and I’ve never had any interest in horror games. And now here I am anxiously awaiting next year’s RE3 remake. 

*Black Eagles, baby!

[oracleact]

I saw the new puss in boots film today, it was incredible! I was most interested in seeing death and the character happened to be even better than what I expected/hoped for.

the overall animation is fantastic but I especially loved how smooth yet substantial each death appearance was. I wasn’t expecting him to be genuinely unnerving but man…that wolf gave me chills.

his whistle set the scene, stepping out from the shadows as if he modifies the very air surrounding him. every move is perfectly calculated but holds uninterrupted power - his eyes glow red and dart around, visually marking his opponent, with his claws clasped around two sharp sickles.

wagner moura gives an alluring performance as the voice of death. there’s a constant underlying growl in his tone that not only adds to death’s daunting presence (and highlights his physical strength through voice) but also gives an extra boost to simple character presentation - a growling wolf, even when not threatened. he has a gorgeous growl in his laugh too; hearing him say anything gave me goosebumps.

his voice is so sultry, it sounds almost corny to say ‘death had me in his clutches and only pulled me in closer’ but that’s exactly what happened. I was hanging on his every word without fail. he’s witty with his wording as well, that’s another advantage to his appeal.

I love how death is portrayed as a villain in this instance but you can still view him as a kind being in situations beyond puss in boots. his reason for going after puss was because he had blown through so many lives without consideration, and he eventually left him alone, after noticing a change in his last life, with a soft “you know we will meet again…”

there was true purpose to his kitty hunt so just think about what else death would get up to outside of that: I can easily see him be gentle with kids who are about to pass on, taking their hand and giving them a welcome to the other side. he isn’t evil or anything, his character expands beyond this level and I adore that. I’m excited to see more fan-made content for him now because of this.

[khaleesi-in-the-north]

In the Crosshairs (33/?)

@waverlys

The first time Margaery pulls the trigger of her brother’s semi-automatic pistol, she nearly drops it. The two shots it fired off before she let go of the trigger leave her ears ringing. The bullets scream several feet to the left of the target.

                    “Don’t be scared of it Margaery,” Loras positions her arms to point straight at the target, a couch cushion. “You have to keep your arms still, but don’t brace them to be inflexible. Give the gun room to recoil.”

                    The second pull doesn’t startle her as much, but she still veers wide left of the target. She adjusts her stance and re-aims the gun. This time she misses shoots too high and right.

                    Half way through their lesson she finally hits the target. Barely, but it’s progress. She’s able to hit it a few more times before Jon comes out.

                    “Nice as all this training is, you should wrap it up. We’ve got a long day travelin’ tomorrow. And I’d like to preserve some of our ammo just in case,” he smiles to show he’s joking, but Loras doesn’t take kindly to the interruption. Still, he holds his tongue, allowing Margaery to relax.

                    He still wasn’t getting along well with anyone except herself and Obara. Meals were awkward. Margaery had taken back to chatting with Sansa and Jon. Whenever she would attempt to engage Loras in their conversation, he would give tense and short replies to extrac himself from the talk as quickly as possible. When he did talk, it was with Obara in huddled conversation.

                    It had only been 48 hours, but Obara had adjusted well since Margaery let her down. She still helped with the training, even if she was a little rougher than before. And after the first day, she even cracked a joke to make Margaery laugh after knocking her on her arse. It gave her hope that they could actually maintain a friendship.

                    **************************

                    She knows they’ve reached King’s Landing when the car begins reeking of sewage waste. South side of the city where her old apartment was, and the east side don’t like dung, but the North side still harbors the old sewage plant. It’s also the home to the most impoverished people in the country. The sheer number of security checkpoints set up for hounds to sniff for drugs means Margaery is relegated to hiding beneath the seats to ensure no one recognizes her.

                    Once they Baelish’s parking garage, Jon double taps the seat, their code for when it’s safe to come up. As she comes up, she notices Jon looking at a photo of himself and Ygritte on his phone. “Are you going to visit her?” Margaery asks.

                    Jon shakes his head. “I want her safe. Until Cersei is delt with, Ygritte is safest away from me.”

                    “If she finds out you’re in the city and avoiding her because of safety, she’s going to hunt you down Jon,” Margaery reminds him.

                    A smile creeps across his face. He slides to the next picture, one of him, Ygritte, Margaery and Alayne on an outing to the amusement park. It was just under a year ago, but it felt longer.

                    Both cars pull into parking slots simultaneously. Margaery follows Jon out of the backseat. She steps toward Sansa’s car, but is cut off a flood of henchmen who rush to unload Sansa’s things. Arya greets her sister, leading her out of the parking garage and away from Margaery.

                    Loras, Oberyn and Obara follow Jon, the defacto tour giver. Margaery doesn’t budge. She has no desire for a walk down memory lane. She does, however, need to lug her bags in. She hoists one over her shoulder and bends for the next, but a large hand scoops it out of her view. She straightens up to find Brienne towering above her with the most awkward and forced grin Margaery has seen since Megga told Elinor she was okay with her dating her ex.

                    “Ms. Tyrell. I would be honored if you allowed me to take your things to your room.” She sounds sincere enough.

                    Margaery plasters on her own far more convincing smile. “Of course, Brienne.”

                    As they walk in uncomfortable silence, Margaery wonders what Loras would do right now. Would he lose his temper and go for the woman now, or reign it in enough to appear complacent.

                    “Your brother…is he doing well?” Brienne finally asks.

                    “Fine, thank you. He’s adjusted quite well,” she lies.

                    Brienne accepts it without a second thought. “Good. Do you think he would be open to speaking with me? I feel so badly about Renly. He needs to know that. I never would have taken that shot if I knew Renly was going to do that. I’ve regretted it ever since, and he was such a kind friend to me and…”

                    Margaery pats her arm as if they are friends that go back years. “He understands. He’s a bit tired though from traveling and wants to right his mind for the mission. Forgive him if he’s not the most forthcoming with you.”

                    The truth was that Loras would go out of his way to avoid Brienne until a confrontation was impossible to avoid. Margaery prays that the situation is not forced for two more days. After that, Loras can do whatever he likes.

                     “Of course,” Brienne leads her up a set of stairs Margaery hadn’t seen during her escape with Ygritte. They open into a hallway lined with windows, far better lit than the dungeon of a basement she had been in before. “I don’t expect forgiveness. I can’t forgive myself. I want him to know it wasn’t on purpose though. I’d give anything to bring Renly back.”

                    Margaery lightly grasps Brienne’s shoulder in a seemingly friendly gesture. “We’d all give anything for him. He is not returning though. We must move on and make the best of the situation we are left with.”

                    Brienne nods, turning right and opening a door for Margaery. She allows Margaery to step in and follows her. She places the bag by a cherry wood dresser. Margaery puts her own bag at the foot of the bed. The room looks homey, yet fancy. Salmon painted walls, a four-poster bed, elegant mirrors on the dressers, leading into an insuite bathroom.

                    “I apologize for any stress I caused you as well, Ms. Tyrell. Although it was a dangerous situation, I could have handled it better. I failed you and Ms. Stark in insuring your safety. Can you forgive me?” Brienne ducks her head, hands clasped behind her back. A soldier accepting repudiation for ill behavior would not look so gallant. It makes it harder for Margaery’s words to be a lie.

                    “Yes, Brienne. You have my understanding and forgiveness,” She turns her back on Brienne and pretends to bend for her bag. “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to freshen up before whatever events this evening has in store.”

                    “Yes, Ms. Tyrell,” Brienne’s footsteps thump toward the door. “I’ll let Ms. Stark know you’ve taken to your room once I see her.” She shuts the door behind her.

                    Margaery unzips the bag on the bed and takes out fresh clothes and goes to the bathroom. It’s nicely decorated and more upscale than the space she had stayed in before. This part of the building must be used to keep up with appearances. A place intended more for the façade and less for use as the headquarters for an underground mafia.

                    She’s redressed and refreshed in time for someone to knock on the door. She expects Loras or Sansa, or even Obara. Certainly not Arya.

                    “Is there a meeting I’m needed for?” Margaery’s eyebrows knit together. She could understand why one of them would come fetch her, but not both.

                    Arya shakes her head. “You’re not needed with them.”

                    “Actually, I was…” Margaery begins.

                    “Let’s rephrase that. We’re going to come have a chat, Margaery,” Arya cuts her off.

                    She’s left with little choice but to follow Arya and Jon down the hall and into a dim lit room with wood panel walls. The Stark mafia insignia hangs on banner on the left wall. Photos of Ned Stark, Catelyn Stark, and what Margaery can only presume are Ned’s sons and a beast of a dog that must be Robb’s hound ornament the shelves. In the center of the adjacent wall is a massive sword. It looks authentic and sharp enough to pierce her skin with a prick.

                    “Is this the point where the mafia threatens me to stay silent or send me down the river?” Margaery asks, lacking all irony.

                    Arya folds her arms as she stares at the sword on the wall. She slowly approaches it, stopping two feet away.

                    “Something like that.” Arya’s pose reminds Margaery of a sergeant training cadets in for battle. Stiff but fluid. She twists around on her heel. “Everything in this room used to belong to my father. What little survived the fire is locked away. These pictures were at his headquarters in Winterfell. His jacket is in the closet. Ice was his most treasured possession.” She gestures to the sword behind her.

                    The name triggers memories of the sword tattoo on Sansa’s thigh. It has a similar pommel and exact blade shape. She’d always wondered why Alayne had the sword and word permanently inscribed on her skin. That one had always stood out the most to her.

                    “It’s a beautiful sword,” Margaery murmurs. She keeps her eyes trained on Arya. The mistress of disguises paces in long measured strides.

                    “Father used to say it was passed from generation to generation as a reminder of the trials the First Men faced during the harsh winter months. That sword slew wolves, elk, and dragons if the legends are to be believed….This is more than a mission to avenge our family. Pleasant as it will be to see Cersei Lannister with the chill of death over her body, this is for the greater good of the North. Peace and stability for our people. Listen, Tyrell. This is not the time for games. Whatever grudges you may still hold against Sansa and Jon are to be forgotten from this moment. Understood?”

                    “I have no grudges,” Margaery’s voice hardens at Arya’s accusatory tone. If she still had issue with Sansa, who was this girl to tell her to let them go?

                    “I doubt that. You can tell yourself that all you’d like. I did. I let it fester within me for years, motivating me until the moment came. And vengeance tasted sweet. Should anything go wrong with this mission, I’m sure my vengeance will taste just as sweet when it comes upon you.”

                    She’s not about to let herself be cowed.

                    “Is that a threat dear, or a promise? If it’s the first, you need to work on your delivery. You’re not as menacing as you believe. If it’s the second, I believe you’ll find yourself disappointed. Fortunately for both of us, we have a common enemy. I’m far too concerned with the woman who’s hunting for my head to worry about past…discrepancies.” she smirks at the flicker of surprise across Arya’s face.

                    It returns to an unreadable mask just as quickly as it broke. “Take it as both. And stay out of Sansa’s way. Your presence will enough of a liability. Pointing a revolver at a target isn’t the same as shooting a man twice your size. Have you ever watched a man die, Margaery? Not just seen, but watched the life leave his eyes? His last puff of breath lingers in the air just a second before his lips begin to cool and his face pales. I’ve never regretted watching a Lannister die. Do you really understand what you’re doing?”

                    She sees it all replay in her mind again. Renly falling from the bullet. Struggling for breath. Eyes blinking a final time before staring blankly at the ceiling.

                    “I will handle myself. I know you won’t worry your pretty head about me out there, nor do I want you to.”

                    Arya comes closer, tilting her head up to meet Margaery’s eyes. “I won’t worry the least about you. Sansa will. Which brings us back to the core of our problem.”

                    Me or the mission, Margaery realizes. “There won’t be a decision. Sansa will do what she needs to, regardless of what happens to me.”

                    Despite the pressure of tears in her eyes, she maintains a straight face. She’s not sure why it’s so difficult to say. She’s known all along she would be the weak link. A liability in the field, no matter how useful she was in the preparation. The what if’s of failure had never felt so real before. Even when she was on the run from Sansa and Cersei, Margaery knew she had certain advantages. Her life never felt endangered at insurmountable odds. Yet the way Arya speaks, she might as well be making a blood oath for her casket size.

                    Does Sansa see her this way? Perhaps Arya is merely the vessel for Sansa’s own concerns. Between herself and the entire North, Sansa would choose her people. Margaery has no doubts about that. That doesn’t mean Sansa wouldn’t feel guilty. All along she’s been trying to protect both simultaneously. She believes Sansa loves her. Love isn’t always enough.

                    “Thank you. We have an understanding then,” Arya nods. “Watch for yourself and don’t drag any of us down.”

                    “Never been clearer,” Margaery mutters.

                    She heads for the door, ignoring the irritation she feels bubbling that she waited until Arya had clearly dismissed her to leave and not left sooner. Alliances only go so deep. Whatever she has with Sansa, the Stark Mafia is not her friend. It’s a partnership of convenience.

                    She marches down the hall, back to her room. She steps aside as Sansa rounds the corner with Baelish and a handful of other mafia members. Sansa leans over Baelish’s arm to read a report as a round man with a long chubby face and cropped white hair drones dully about the increased security personnel he has observed around the Lannister mansion in recent days. They almost go by without any acknowledgement until Sansa halts. Her entourage continues on, seemingly unaware that their leader has not.

                    Margaery is also unaware, about to continue back to her room when she feels a tapping on her shoulder. She turns back to find Sansa looking down upon her with a slight frown. From her periphery, she notices that the rest of the Stark mafia has finally noticed and waited.

                    “Babe, we’re heading to the kitchen for dinner. Join us? We were just talking about entrance points and your opinion could be useful,” Sansa offers. The desire to include her is sweet and would warm Margaery’s heart had it not been for the grimaces her trusted men and women wore. Only Petyr maintained a neutral face, which told her all she needed to know about how the mafia felt about her. They shared a mind with Arya.

                    “I’d love to, darling, but I’m tired and not feeling well. I think I’ll just catch some sleep,” she takes a small step back.

                    “Oh,” Sansa’s hands fall over the top of Margaery’s, holding her in place a moment longer. “I’ll bring you back something in case you feel better.”

                    “Thank you,” Margaery rises on her toes and kisses Sansa’s cheek, allowing herself to indulge a second longer than normal. She can feel the glares of the mafia drilling into her, warding her from their leader.

                    Margaery slips her hands out from underneath Sansa’s and wanders back to her room. She knows where she stands with the mafia and it shouldn’t surprise her in the least. Especially the Starks.

[oracleact]

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[oracleact]

oh that would be so horrible oh boy imagine how safe you would feel being wrapped up in their body oh noooo and their soft fur just being a little comfort blanket no that would totally not be desirable at all

I’m so cold, it would be suchhh a shame if a werewolf were to come up to me right now and hold me close to their warm and fluffy body. Oh dear, that we be sooooo horrible

[oracleact]

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[oracleact]

I remember an anon suggested a John Constantine comic about a girl who had a hot and sexy encounter with a werewolf. Can you give me the link to that post or tell me the comic they suggested?

was it the mention of simon bisley’s work by any chance? it was probably this incredible piece, it was the first thing that came to mind when I read this:

this is from hellblazer - volume 1, issue 292! I hope I got things right for you ^^

[oracleact]

find more of the artist on tumblr → @oreowoof